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Painkiller discovery 'could lead to new analgesics'

Research published in Nature Communications has identified how Paracetamol works, more than 60 years after the analgesic first hit the market.

The identification of the drug’s mechanism - a protein called TRPA 1 – will allow scientists to develop new treatments without the painkiller's potential side effects.

Dr David Andersson, from the Wolfson Centre for Age Related Diseases at King's College London, said that this is an extremely exciting discovery that could see Paracetemol being replaced as the go-to medicine for treating aches and pains.

He said: "Many targets have been identified in the past, but as paracetamol is a medicine that we know works well in humans, this gives us a head-start in looking for effective molecules that utilise the same pathways."

In other news, research published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology has found that repeatedly taking slightly too much Paracetamol over time can still cause a dangerous overdose.